


Dying To Live

by greycoupon



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Episode: s01e20 Darkness Falls, F/M, post episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-14 00:41:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21006842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greycoupon/pseuds/greycoupon
Summary: Scully asks Mulder for a small favor.





	Dying To Live

**Author's Note:**

> Fictober day 12. Fair warning, I'm low on meds and the fic exchange story is due in a week so I may miss some days next week. As always, feel free to send me any prompts [to my tumblr inbox. You don't need an account.](https://greycoupons.tumblr.com/ask). I promise I will get to them all.

Dana Scully was 10 minutes late for work. That wasn’t what caught Mulder’s attention. What did was that when she came in, she sat down at her desk with her briefcase in her lap for several more minutes.

Just as Mulder was about to ask if everything was okay, she removed a sheaf of papers from the case and approached him.

“I was wondering if you could do something for me,” she asked as she handed him the document.

He scanned the cover.

“What’s an advanced medical directive?” he wondered.

And why was she showing it to him? They had been working well together for almost a year and he considered her a good friend. But they really didn’t talk about personal stuff that actually mattered. With some rare exceptions, it was all about the work and he liked it that way.

She looked at him for a long moment.

“I’ve been thinking since we got out of quarantine after our nice trip to the forest…”

Mulder winced. He had promised her that, hadn’t he?

She continued, “I almost died. We almost died. I’ve only been doing field work for a year but have already several life and death situations. If something happens, I want to make sure I have control over what is done for me.”

Mulder wasn’t totally sure he understood but he could feel the lump in his gut forming.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean I don’t want to be kept alive by tubes and machines. I don’t want to breathe only because a respirator does it for me. That isn’t living. I had this living will drawn up to specify exactly what I want and do not want. I was wondering if you would sign it as my witness? I’d like to get it on file here.”

Mulder had an obvious question.

“Why wouldn’t you ask your mother to do that? She does know about your wishes, right? Do you really need a legal document?” He was wondering if he was pushing too much. This wasn’t really his business.

Scully looked a bit pained.

“I don’t like to discuss work with Mom. She worries a lot. She just lost Dad and I don’t want her to even entertain the idea of losing me. I’m just not sure….”

He didn’t like to think about losing Scully either. They had some close calls but he was going to make sure what happened in the Olympia National Forest never happened again. But this seemed simple enough and would save her some potential family drama. He knew she would never actually need something like this.

He picked up a pen. 

“Where do I sign?”


End file.
